The real reason police shut down this Krispy Kreme drive-thru

Police in Long Beach, California closed the drive-thru window at a Krispy Kreme on May 19th because eager graduates were snarling traffic for blocks near the doughnut shop (via Long Beach Post). Why? Well, Krispy Kreme was giving away a dozen doughnuts that day to members of the Class of 2020, but the demand exceeded the company's expectations. The good news: Seniors in Long Beach could still get their doughnuts, if they ordered online and walked up to the shop — which had to close early after running out of doughnuts.

Long lines of cars heading to Krispy Kreme were reported across the U.S. that day, some of them much longer than the "more than three blocks" in Long Beach. For instance, @zackeyboi posted a now-viral video to TikTok showing a line of cars in Elk Grove Village, Illinois that stretched about a mile. One frustrated graduate commented on @zackeyboi's TikTok post that Krispy Kreme had run out of doughnuts by the time they got to the front of the line.

Meanwhile, the line at the Krispy Kreme in Troy, Michigan stretched onto the interstate as seniors from the greater Detroit area waited for their free box of specialty doughnuts (via Click On Detroit).

Some graduating seniors left Krispy Kreme empty-handed

Shutterstock

"We prepared for a really big day, but your enthusiasm and love has resulted in some of our shops running out of the Graduate Dozen, so we are offering a dozen of our iconic Original Glazed doughnuts in its place," Krispy Kreme posted to its website on May 19th. But some Krispy Kreme outlets closed early, leaving seniors empty-handed. Other graduates said on social media that after seeing the line of cars waiting for their free treats, they decided to walk up to the store instead and had more success.

While some social media commenters wondered why anyone would wait in a line that long for anything, or bemoaned the plight of Krispy Kreme employees that day, others were grateful for the company's gesture to honor members of the Class of 2020. After all, so many missed out on their graduation ceremony due to COVID-19 restrictions.

To get their free dozen, seniors simply had to show up wearing their cap and gown or other Class of 2020 gear. The special Graduate Dozen is available for purchase at Krispy Kreme through Sunday, May 24th. The box includes Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled, Strawberry Iced Kreme Filled, Cake Batter Filled, Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, Strawberry Iced with Sprinkles, and Yellow Iced Original Glazed Doughnuts.